Surgery for erection problems is frequently chosen when non-surgical treatments and psychotherapy have not been effective. Surgical approaches include penile implants, which can be very successful and p
Advertisement
roduce satisfactory results in 80 to 90% of men, and repairs to the vascular system in the penis as well as surgery for penile curvature correction (Peyronie’s disease). This is a painful condition of the penis which in time results in deformity or curvature of the penile shaft making penetration impossible.
A bendable rod can be implanted into the penis. This makes the penis rigid enough to have sex, yet leaves it flexible enough to be tucked away in your pants unobtrusively.
A cylinder may be implanted that extends when fluid from a reservoir tucked under the abdominal muscle is pumped into it. This is done by manually squeezing a small pump that is connected to the reservoir and implanted into the scrotum.
While implants mean that you can avoid using drugs, they do require surgery and all the risks normally related to surgery: adverse reaction to anaesthesia, possible blood loss, and infection. About two percent of implants have to be removed as a result of infection. In five to 10% of cases there may be mechanical failure of the device, in which case a second operation is necessary for repair or removal. Urologists perform most penile implants, and cost can range from about R6 000 to more than R20 000, depending on the type of implant.
Surgery to repair or remove blood vessels of the penis may be appropriate in the case of a young man who suffers erectile dysfunction as a result of injury, such as a car accident. In older men, it tends to be more difficult to repair damaged blood vessels, as damage may be extensive. These specialised blood vessel repair (revascularisation) operations should be done by specially trained urologic surgeons.
Reviewed by Dr Werner Botha Specialist Urologist, Cape Town Medi-clinic. May 2005.
Bookmark with:
What are social bookmarks?